From secret hideaways to lavender mazes: 10 of Yorkshire’s most impressive gardens you need to visit

Here in Yorkshire, you’re never hard pushed to find a scenic spot or two.

But if you don’t fancy a bracing walk across the rugged Dales, these perfectly pruned gardens are the perfect places to head to soak up a bit of natural beauty.

Experience a slice of heaven on earth exploring the 30 acres of parkland at Plumpton Rocks

And since it’s National Gardening Week, you might pick up a few ideas on how to spruce up your own back yard.

Scampston Walled Garden, Malton

Set within the 18th century walls of the original kitchen garden for Scampston Hall, the beautiful walled garden was designed by renowned Dutch plantsman, Piet Oudolf, features modern, perennial meadow planting alongside more traditional areas, with plenty of floral displays to see.

RHS Garden Harlow Carr is set in a scenic valley and spreads across 68 acres

Breezy Knees Gardens, York

Bursting with colour throughout the year, these 20 acre gardens in York are overflowing with more than 6,000 varieties of flowers, plants shrubs and trees, and are particularly impressive during the summer months.

Thornbridge Hall gardens were designed at the end of the 19th century to create a vision of '1,000 shades of green'

Home to dramatic rock formations, lakeside walks and picturesque woodland trails which wind through bluebells and rhododendrons, Plumpton Rocks' 30 acres of parkland are like a little slice of heaven on earth.

Opened in 1836, Sheffield Botanical Gardens now stretch across 19 acres close to the city centre and are listed by English Heritage as a Grade II site of specific historic and architectural interest, complete with plant filled glass pavillions, sweeping lawns and a fountain.

Visit: Clarkhouse Road, Sheffield, S10 2LN - sbg.org.uk

The Forbidden Corner, Leyburn

Ideal if you're looking for something a little different that will entertain both children and adults, The Forbidden Corner in Leyburn is a must visit.

Featuring a unique labyrinth of tunnels, chambers and follies within a four acre garden, it's well suited for a spot of outdoor adventuring and promises plenty of fun surprises along the way.

Set in a scenic valley and spread across 68 acres, there are a variety of landscapes to explore at Harlow Carr, including a hedgehog-friendly garden, an Alpine House, a winter walk and a kitchen garden.

Walk among the beautiful array of lavender flowers, which include lilacs, deep purples, blues and whites, and soak up the glorious scents at these unique gardens in Malton, where you can also meander your way around a lavendar maze, sensory garden and a natural wild flower grassland meadow, among others.

These sprawling quintessentially English gardens set in the heart of the Peak District National Park were designed at the end of the 19th century to create a vision of '1,000 shades of green', and are home to many distinct features.

From the water garden and Koi Lake, to the temples, statues and grottoes located throughout, visitors have lots to discover.

From the impressive walled garden which contains more than four thousand plant species, to the jungle garden featuring large leaved plants, grasses and bamboos, to the woodland walk littered with wildlife sculptures, there is plenty to see and explore at the award-winning gardens of this Elizabethan stately home.

Boasting 25 acres of compartmentalised gardens, there are a huge variety of areas to explore at Newby Hall, including a rose, water, tropical and orchard gardens, and an exciting children's adventure garden, miniature railway and a woodland discovery walk.